Foreign and Commonwealth Office

EU Action: Parliamentary Scrutiny

Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each government department, from July to December 2014, (1) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Lords was overridden, (2) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Commons was overridden, and (3) in respect of how many documents an override occurred in (a) both Houses or (b) either House.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government seeks to avoid breaching the Scrutiny Reserve Resolutions, continuing to account for overrides in writing to the Committees. The European Union Committee’s Report on 2013-14 (House of Lords Paper 6) published on 1 July 2014, recognised that continued positive engagement between the Committee’s secretariat and Departments has seen the number of overrides fall significantly since 2010, noting that many of the overrides that continue to be recorded relate to sensitive and fast-moving foreign policy matters, which cannot be made public beforehand, and where a scrutiny override may be difficult to avoid. That remained the case in the period July-December 2014 where, of the 49 overrides across both houses, 36 (73%) were in this category, including 22 measures to address the continuing crisis in Ukraine and the Crimea and Sevastopol region and 6 measures against Syria. The Government regrets that a small number were the result of substandard handling of the scrutiny process – this is clearly not good enough, and in these cases the Department concerned has taken action to strengthen scrutiny and prevent reoccurrences. This includes holding scrutiny workshops and talks from Ministers and Senior Civil Servants to make clear that effective scrutiny is a top priority. The European Scrutiny Committee has recorded 1 additional override not in the total figure of 49 relating to the Government’s support for a partial general approach on the draft Data Protection Regulation. The Government is considering the Committee’s view and will shortly respond to the Committee. During this period, 412 Explanatory Memoranda were submitted.The figures requested are set out below:Department(1). House of Lords Override(2). House of Commons override(a). No. of overrides in both Houses(b). Total no. of overridesForeign and Commonwealth Office34323234Department for Business, Innovation and Skills5555Cabinet Office3333HM Treasury1313Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 0101Home Office1212Ministry of Justice1111Totals45474349

Romania

Baroness Suttie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent meetings they have had with the government of Romania to discuss human rights and judicial reform; and whether the Adamescu case has been raised during any such discussions.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: During the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond)'s visit to Romania on 14 January he discussed human rights matters with Prime Minister Ponta and he discussed judicial reform with both Prime Minister Ponta and President Iohannis. On the specific case my noble Friend refers to a ruling that has recently been made. I understand that there may be legal options for appeal but with respect to the Romanian legal system, we are not able to comment further on this case.

EU Law

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how European Union regulations are brought into being; what is their force in United Kingdom law; and how many have been issued since 1976.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: An EU regulation is adopted by a legislative procedure, i.e. by the ordinary legislative procedure or by a special legislative procedure, (see Article 289(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)). The legal effect of an EU regulation is that it is directly applicable in the national law of all the Member States and it is binding in its entirety, (see Article 288 TFEU). The Government does not centrally hold information on each EU regulation issued since 1976. The Eur-Lex database, available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html holds further information on EU legislation.A copy of Articles 288 and 289 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) is attached.



Articles 288 and 289 of the TFEU
(Word Document, 26.5 KB)

Ukraine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to secure the withdrawal of Russian military personnel now alleged to be in the territory of Ukraine; and what steps they are taking to mobilise funds for aid and investment in Ukraine.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has sent very clear messages to Russia to end its deliberate destabilisation of Ukraine including in international fora, such as the UN Security Council and the EU. On 26 January, the UK Permanent Representative to the UN urged all Council members to make clear that Russia must withdraw its equipment and troops from Ukraine and play its full part in ensuring the immediate implementation of the Minsk Protocol. On 29 January, the UK supported a decision by the EU to extend existing sanctions against Russia until September in the face of continued Russian aggression in Ukraine.The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has said that the International Monetary Fund, EU and other partners should provide financial assistance to address Ukraine’s urgent financial needs, and in return the Ukrainian government must make real progress with their reform programme. The British Government has committed £10 million over two years to support governance and economic reform in Ukraine. UK assistance on the investment climate also includes support to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to set up an independent anti-corruption Business Ombudsman.

Azerbaijan

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan about its reported actions in (1) arresting and detaining key persons in civil organisations and human rights defenders, (2) freezing the bank accounts of non-governmental organisations and of certain private individuals, (3) denying registration to new non-governmental organisations, and (4) alleged breaches of Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights; and whether all these matters were raised during Azerbaijan's presidency of the Council of Europe.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK consistently raises human rights concerns with the Government of Azerbaijan, including during Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), visited Baku in November 2014 and discussed concerns about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan with both the President and the Foreign Minister. In addition to statements from Mr Lidington, the UK has supported EU and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) statements on human rights issues. In August 2014 we discussed the treatment of non-governmental organisations with Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the UK. In the Council of Europe, the UK has made a number of statements about the arrest and detention of members of civil society, in addition to raising it bilaterally. As a member of the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan is a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, and we regularly encourage Azerbaijan to implement its Council of Europe commitments.

Ukraine: Russia

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are investigating the whereabouts and the current wellbeing of Mustafa Dzhemiler and Refat Chubarov, Crimean Tatar leaders, following their exiling from Crimea; and if so, with what result.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Mustafa Dzhemilev, former leader of the Crimean Tatars and Refat Chubarov, his successor, are currently living in exile in Kyiv. They have both been banned from entering Crimea for a period of five years by the so called Crimean “authorities” on fabricated charges of extremism. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), met Mustafa Dzhemilev on 4 December in the margins of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council in Basel. He expressed UK concerns at the harassment and intimidation being experienced by the Crimean Tatar community since the illegal annexation of the peninsula by Russia in March last year and reaffirmed the UK’s solidarity with the people of Crimea. Both Mustafa Dzhemilev and Refat Chubarov regularly brief the international community in Kyiv on the situation in Crimea, and our Embassy in Kyiv has frequent contact with them.

Forced Marriage

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to gather data on the number of girls under the legal age of marriage who had married abroad and have been brought back to the United Kingdom, as part of the work of the Forced Marriage Unit.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) provides a range of support and assistance in cases where British nationals are at risk of forced marriage abroad. In 2013, the FMU gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage in 1302 cases. Where the age was known, 15% of cases involved victims below 16 years and 25% involved victims aged 16-17. Where a victim is repatriated back to the UK, this is individually recorded on case notes.

Burma

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have signed any Memoranda of Understanding or other agreements with the Ministry of Home Affairs in Burma.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government does not have any Memoranda of Understanding or similar agreements with the Ministry of Home Affairs in Burma.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel concerning the recent attacks by settlers on Palestinians.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government has repeatedly raised our concerns about incidents of settler violence and intimidation with the Israeli authorities. We have stressed the importance of bringing the extremist settlers responsible to justice and of the Israel security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Nigeria

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the response of the government of Nigeria to the violent insurgency there which has led to the need for the deployment of an African Union regional force.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Tackling the threat of Boko Haram requires a comprehensive response, led by the Nigerian government, with the support of its neighbours and other international partners. To that end, the UK has taken an active role in leading international support to Nigeria, with a substantial package of military, intelligence and development and humanitarian assistance to tackle Boko Haram and its consequences. We welcome the African Union’s support for a regional military task force to counter the growing threat of Boko Haram in Nigeria and the region.

Egypt

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt concerning its reported plans for the forced eviction and demolition of homes of the population of Rafah.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the extension of the buffer zone in North Sinai and are concerned by reports of the effect of this on the civilian population. We have raised on a number of occasions with the Government of Egypt the need for a human rights compliant approach to countering terrorism in this area, which addresses socioeconomic development as well as security needs.

Palestinians

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 6 January (HL3722), what assessment they have made of the kidnap and forcible conversion of Christians in Gaza and of attacks on Christian property there; and what evaluation they have made of the decrease in the Christian population in Gaza since 2007.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) speaks to a range of Gazan interlocutors, including from the Christian community, on a regular basis. There have been no allegations raised with the FCO recently of kidnap and forcible conversions of Christians in the Gaza Strip. During 2014’s Operation Protective Edge, churches in Gaza opened to shelter displaced people from Christian and Muslim communities.A survey conducted in 2014 by non-governmental organisations suggests that the Christian community decreased from 1375 in 2007 to 1313 in March 2014.

Ukraine: Russia

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to encourage parties in Ukraine to release all hostages and prisoners of war as a preliminary to renewing the ceasefire there; and whether they will ask the governments of Russia and Ukraine to exercise full control over militias and informal armed groups now within Ukraine.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We continue to call on all parties to implement in full the commitments they made under the ceasefire agreement reached in Minsk on 9 September 2014, including the immediate release of all hostages and unlawfully detained persons and the removal of unlawful military formations, military hardware, as well as militants and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine.

Transcaucasus and Ukraine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will request that the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances report what progress, if any, it is making on reported disappearances in the northern Caucasus and Ukraine.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is deeply concerned by reports of disappearances in the northern Caucasus and in Ukraine. The UK supports the work of the UN’s Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and recognises the important role it plays in investigating enforced disappearances. The Working Group has requested a visit to Russia and we strongly urge Russia to issue an invitation to allow them to make this visit and work unimpeded. We hope that the Working Group is able to provide an assessment of the situation in Ukraine in the future.

Belarus

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the authorities in Belarus concerning the case of Ihar Tsikhanyuk.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has made no direct representation specifically on behalf of Mr Tsikhanyuk. Our Embassy in Minsk supports the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Belarus where possible. The UK regularly raises Belarus’s poor human rights record in meetings with Belarusian ministers and officials.

South Sudan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are supporting the South Sudanese National Police Service (SSNPS), both bilaterally and through the United Nations Mission; and how they ensure that any support provided to the SSNPS conforms with their Human Rights Due Diligence policy.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is currently not providing direct bilateral support to the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS). However, we do maintain political and strategic dialogue with their leadership, focused on accountability, human rights and preventing sexual violence.We also support targeted multilateral interventions through UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and civil society. This includes support for Special Protection Units for survivors of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) and other vulnerable groups, support to national partners to develop an Accountability Mechanism for the SSNPS as recommended in the May 2014 UNMISS Human Rights Report, and the placement of four UK Police Officers in UNMISS to support community policing efforts. These interventions have been cleared, as appropriate, through an Overseas Security and Justice Assessment and the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy Task Force.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assurances they have received from the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the DRC with regard to the protection of civilians in relation to the launch of military operations against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda rebel group.

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with regard to the planned closures of the camps for internally displaced persons in the eastern province of North-Kivu, in particular in the light of the recent launch of military operations against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda rebel group.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains challenging, and at times dangerous, for civilians.On 30 January the Government of the DRC announced that military action had begun against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), but it is our assessment that comprehensive operations are yet to fully commence. Officials at our Embassy in Kinshasa have reiterated to the Government of the DRC that international expectations remain high: the threat posed by the FDLR to civilians and to the security and stability of the region must be tackled.The Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and the UN Organization Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) must ensure that efforts to minimise the impact on civilians remain forefront in planning for military operations against armed groups. We are also working closely with the humanitarian community and MONUSCO to minimise the risk to civilians during forthcoming operations. This includes liaising with and providing financial support for organisations working to develop and finalise contingency plans to manage any potential humanitarian impact.

Arms Trade: Ukraine

Lord Davies of Stamford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they would be prepared, on request by the government of Ukraine, to sell them defensive, including lethal, weapons.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Any UK export of strategic goods will require an export licence. All export licence applications for Ukraine are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and relevant national Arms Export Licensing Criteria.The Government continues to closely monitor the situation.

Gambia

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the human rights situation in The Gambia.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Gambia has a poor human rights record. Rule of law, freedom of the press, extra-judicial detentions, human trafficking and recent legislation targeting Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender people are all areas of concern. The UK position on human rights is firm: human rights are universal and must apply equally to all people. Our Ambassador in Banjul regularly raises human rights with the Gambian government and our Embassy provides funds that support human rights projects in the country.

Zimbabwe

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the authorities in Zimbabwe concerning Women of Zimbabwe Arise.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not made direct representations to the Government of Zimbabwe on behalf of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). However, the British Government, along with the EU and other international partners, has contact with and supports a range of civil society organisations which promote human rights, including the protection of the rights of women, such as WOZA.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Students: Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the reasons for the reported increase in financial problems amongst students.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has made financial support available to students for both tuition fees and maintenance costs. Eligible students attending full-time undergraduate courses that are designated for student support can apply for fully means-tested Maintenance Grants and loans for living costs, 35% of which are based on a student’s household income. Students in hardship can also speak to their institution’s Student Welfare Officer.

Digital Technology

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the digital economy in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The digital economy is considered an important sector by the Government, given its strong past performance and potential for future growth and the impact it has on all sectors of the economy. The ICT sector[1] has grown over two and a half times as fast as the whole economy over the past 10 years. In 2013, the sector contributed 7.5% (£113bn) to the UK’s GVA and supported 1.3m jobs in the UK economy. In GVA terms, the UK ICT sector is the largest in the EU, marginally ahead of Germany. In employment terms, the UK ICT sector is the second largest in the EU, marginally behind Germany[2].   The opportunities and barriers to successful growth in the sector were considered in the Information Economy Strategy, published in June 2013. The strategy set out a long-term strategic action plan for industry, government and academia working in partnership to create the business conditions for a thriving UK information economy.   One of the major challenges identified in the strategy was skills shortages. We are working in partnership with industry to make sure our education and training routes are providing the digital skills the UK needs now and in future. Specific action includes, a new Computing Curriculum launched in September with a greater focus on computational thinking, reforms to apprenticeships that enable employers to develop new standards which reflect the skills they need, a new Degree Apprenticeship in digital skills, which will enable young people to get a full honours degree alongside on the job training and a National College for Digital Skills, which will drive up further education standards. [1] UN and OECD definition of ICT and Content and Media: which incorporates manufacturing of computers, communication equipment and consumer electronics, wholesale of information and communication equipment and information and communication services[2] EuroStat Structural Business Statistics Database (based on UN/OECD definition.)

Department for International Development

Sierra Leone

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of their budget support to the government of Sierra Leone has been directed towards health system strengthening between (1) 2002 and 2009, and (2) 2010 and 2015.

Baroness Northover: The Department for International Development has spent the following amounts on bilateral health projects in Sierra Leone since 2005-06, inclusive of General Budget Support:   2005-06£1.7m   2006-07£1.8m2007-08£3m2008-09£5.5m2009-10£10.9m Total £22.9 m2010-11£22m  2011-12£11.6m2012-13£15.9m2013-14£14.3mTotal £63.8m   The 2010-11 figures include one-off start-up costs for the launch (in April 2010) and rollout of the Free Health Care Initiative in Sierra Leone.   Specifically with regards to General Budget Support, DFID began disbursing General Budget Support to the Government of Sierra Leone in 2005/6. Of these figures above, DFID has spent £6.7m on the health sector through budget support between 2005/6 and 2010/11 and £17.3m on the health sector through budget support between 2010/11 and 2014/15.   These figures are calculated on the basis of the proportion of the Government of Sierra Leone’s (GoSL) total budget that was allocated to health in the given years.   These figures do not include the substantial health support delivered via multilateral bodies such as Gavi and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GF). These funds disbursed US$38.9m (Gavi) and US$148.5m (GF) to Sierra Leone over 2005-2014. The UK has provided significant funding to both of these organisations and most recently pledged up to £1bn to the GF over 2014-2016 period and £1bn to Gavi for 2016–20.

Department for Education

HIV Infection: Children

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the Department of Health and the Department for Education are working together to provide pastoral care and support to pupils with HIV.

Lord Nash: Children and young people with medical conditions should receive the support they need to enable them to participate in a full education. The Government has introduced a new duty at Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 under which school governing bodies must make arrangements to support such pupils.The guidance for this duty has been developed in collaboration with a range of stakeholders including the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance, school leaders, academy organisations, unions, Department of Health officials and young people and their parents. In particular, the guidance advises schools to consider the social and emotional implications associated with medical conditions.NHS England promotes partnership working in the commissioning and provision of services for children and young people with HIV. The Children's HIV Association is a member of the HIV Clinical Reference Group and leads projects with teachers to promote HIV awareness in schools.

HIV Infection

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that teachers have appropriate understanding of HIV and HIV stigma.

Lord Nash: Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rightly rest with schools, individual teachers and heads, as they are in the best position to make judgements about their requirements.As explained in my answer to question PQ HL4437, the Department for Education does not prescribe specific measures to tackle the stigma of HIV in schools. However all schools are required to promote mutual respect and tolerance.

Adoption

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new-born babies were available for adoption in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Lord Nash: The number of children looked after, aged 0 to 6 months, for whom the local authority made a decision that they should be placed for adoption during the year are shown in the table. Number of children looked after aged 0 to 6 months for whom the local authority has made the decision that the child should be placed for adoption1Years ending 31 March 2010 to 2014England   YearsChildren aged 0 to 6 months for whom the decision has beenmade that they should be placed for adoption220105402011580201276020131,34020141,700Source: SSDA9031. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Includes children aged 0 to 6 months at the time the decision to place the child for adoption was taken. Includes looked after children who were adopted or placed for adoption during the year.

Classroom Assistants: Males

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 20 January concerning the number of teaching assistants in primary and secondary schools (HL4277), what steps they have taken to improve the gender balance of male and female teaching assistants in primary and secondary schools; and what action they intend to take to correct the current imbalance.

Lord Nash: We value diversity in the workforce and want to attract high quality teachers. That is why we believe it is right that schools and not the Government should be responsible for the recruitment and appointment of teaching assistants. Schools are well placed to identify the best people with the necessary skills and knowledge regardless of gender. The Department for Education trusts schools to recruit teaching assistants in a fair and open manner and ensure that relevant equalities and employment legislation is adhered to.

Primary Education: Standards

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make the tracking of pupils’ progress over time the principal league table criterion for primary schools.

Lord Nash: The Department for Education announced in March 2014 that it will introduce a new headline performance measure for primary schools from 2016. This will be based on the progress made by pupils from reception to the end of primary school.   The new progress measure will ensure schools are fairly judged on the performance of all their pupils and will recognise the progress pupils make in schools with more challenging intakes.   Attainment will continue to be an important part of how we measure schools’ success, as we know that if pupils do not master English and maths in primary school their chances of achieving a set of valuable qualifications at age 16 are low.   Therefore, a school will only fall below the floor standard if pupils make poor progress and fewer than 85% of them achieve the new expected standard in English and mathematics.   The Government’s plans for reform of primary school performance measures are detailed in the response to the consultation on accountability for primary schools.[1]  [1] www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-national-curriculum-primary-assessment-and-accountability

New Schools Network

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money they have paid to the New Schools Network over the last four years.

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money they have paid to the New Schools Network in each of the last four years.

Lord Nash: The New Schools Network’s annual accounts are published by the Charity Commission. They show that the New Schools Network has received grant funding as set out in the table below. Year (1 September to 31 August)Grant paid2010-11£478,8652011-12£656,5772012-13£743,696  Between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014, the department paid the New Schools Network grant funding of £1,272,897. The accounts for 2013-14 will be published in due course.

Free Schools: Finance

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what total sum of money is given to each prospective free school as start-up costs; and what total sum of money has been spent on start-up costs for free schools that have not proceeded since the launch of the free schools programme.

Lord Nash: Proposer groups whose applications are approved receive a fixed rate of pre-opening funding to cover all essential expenditure to establish a new school. The amount of grant received will depend on the type of school and whether the trust is opening multiple schools in a single academic year. The current rates of pre-opening grant funding are:  Single projectMultiple projectsType of schoolPre-opening grant funding levelPre-opening grant funding for first schoolPre-opening grant funding for each subsequent school opened in a single academic yearPrimary£220,000£220,000£150,000Secondary and All Through£300,000£300,000£200,000Special School£220,000£220,000£150,000Alternative Provision£220,000£220,000£150,00016-19£250,000£250,000£170,000   The Department’s confirmed pre-opening expenditure on free school projects that were due to open by 2012 but did not proceed is £940,146.   Confirmed pre-opening expenditure on free school projects that opened or were withdrawn in 2013 will be published in due course.

The Lord Chairman of Committees

Parliamentary Digital Service

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask the Chairman of Committees what plans there are to act on recommendations 31 concerning access to data and 33 regarding the skills and staffing of the Parliamentary Digital Service, of the Speaker of the House of Commons’ Commission on Digital Democracy in so far as they are relevant to the House of Lords.

Lord Sewel: The recommendations from the Speaker of the House of Commons’ Commission on Digital Democracy are presently being actively considered by the relevant bodies in each House, including comparing existing plans and projects to the recommendations made. As most of the recommendations in the Report concern the House of Commons this answer only covers ongoing work which involves the House of Lords. The Digital Democracy Report recommended that all published information and broadcast footage produced by Parliament should be freely available online in formats suitable for re-use. In July 2014 the House of Lords Management Board, in parallel with its House of Commons equivalent, committed to making this happen. Significant work has already been completed to develop the data.parliament.uk platform which publishes parliamentary data in easily re-usable formats. The aim is that all parliamentary data that is in the public domain will be available on data.parliament.uk but for some types of information this will take significant work. Current House of Lords Hansard is already published on data.parliament.uk in XML format; Hansard archive data going back to the year 1803 is also available as XML files. The Register of Lords’ Interests is another dataset published on data.parliament.uk platform; this is available as an API which returns data in various formats including JSON and XML. A full list of datasets currently available can be found from the Parliamentary website: www.data.parliament.uk/dataset. Further sets of data will be added in the coming months Parliament encourages the reuse of material made available. Use of Parliamentary material is governed by the terms of the Open Parliament Licence (further details can be found on the Parliamentary website: www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/open-parliament-licence). The Open Parliament Licence is designed to allow Parliamentary material to be used freely and flexibly, consistent with the way public sector information is made available for use under the Open Government Licence.  The new Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service will join Parliament in March 2015 and take responsibility the new Service from April 2015. He will be tasked with developing and implementing a digital strategy for Parliament that will put digital first, making the best use of digital technology to strengthen the United Kingdom’s key democratic institution while enabling citizens to access Parliament in new and meaningful ways. The new digital strategy will outline the resources and skills needed to deliver it, as well as policies about data and plans for future ICT projects.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made to determine the scale of homelessness in the United Kingdom; how it is being tackled and by whom; and what new or additional initiatives they plan to undertake to facilitate satisfactory outcomes for homeless people.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Local authorities in England collect and report data on the levels of homelessness on a quarterly basis which are published in the homelessness live tables at: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness. Homelessness remains lower than in 27 of the last 30 years and figures for 2013-14 show that homelessness acceptances in England fell 3% compared to 2012-13. England has one of the strongest safety nets in the world, protected in law, requiring local authorities to secure accommodation for any eligible person who finds themselves homeless through no fault of their own and who is in priority need. This Government has increased investment to £500 million to support local authorities and voluntary sector agencies to prevent and tackle homelessness and since July 2010 this has helped prevent 700,000 cases of homelessness by finding new accommodation or helping people stay in their own home. We fund the National Practitioner Support Service to help local authorities continuously improve their frontline housing services so to better support and protect homeless households. We have also invested over £10 million in the National Homelessness Advice Service that ensure that frontline staff receive the support they need to provide a professional service, as quickly and efficiently as possible. The £8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund is supporting 34 local authority partnerships to improve services for 22,000 individuals with multiple needs across 168 local authorities. We are helping vulnerable single homeless such as ex-offenders and rough sleepers to find and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector through our £13 million funding to Crisis. By 2016 we expect the Crisis scheme to have helped 10,000 single homeless people since it started in 2010. This Government is also doing more to combat youth homelessness through the new, innovative £15 million Fair Chance Fund programme that will help turn the lives around of 1,600 high needs young people.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many nuclear power stations have been fully decommissioned since the nuclear power programme was established; which power stations are currently being decommissioned; on which date the decommissioning commenced; on which date it is anticipated that decommissioning will be concluded; and what is the estimated cost of the decommissioning of each of those stations.

Baroness Verma: No UK nuclear power stations have yet been fully decommissioned. The table below sets out the power stations currently being decommissioned; the date on which decommissioning commenced and is anticipated to be concluded; and the estimated lifetime cost. Nuclear power stationDecommissioning start dateDecommissioning end date (expected)Estimated lifetime cost (£m, discounted)Berkeley19892079639Bradwell20022092336Chapelcross20042095697Dungeness A20062097567Hinkley Point A20002090706Hunterston A19902080650Oldbury20122101927Sizewell A20072097764Trawsfynydd19932083557Calder20032115386Windscale (Piles 1&2)19572050895Decommissioning is also underway on research reactors at Dounreay, Harwell and Winfrith; these are not normally considered ‘power stations’.

Fracking: Lancashire

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have communicated with Lancashire County Council over the planning applications by Cuadrilla for fracking at Roseacre Wood and Little Plumpton; and if so when and by what means they did so, and what was the purport of any communication.

Baroness Verma: Communications between Her Majesty’s Government and Lancashire County Council have been carried out in accordance with the “Guidance on Planning Propriety Issues” published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in February 2012. The merits of the planning applications at Roseacre Wood and Little Plumpton have not been discussed.Officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government communicated with officials from Lancashire County Council by telephone and by e-mail in September and October 2014 to obtain factual information on the total number of representations received in relation to, and the local authority’s intended timescales for decisions on, both planning applications. Two communications were held on 20 January between officials from the Department and the local authority. One, by telephone between the Chief Executive of the local authority and the Permanent Secretary, was to inform the department of the officer recommendations that would be in the reports to be published at 9.00am the following day. The other was an e-mail from Lancashire County Council to advise when the reports would be published and where they would be made available on their website.In developing part of the £5 million Government shale support package that was announced in the Autumn Statement 2014, there were also telephone conversations between officials, one in December 2014 and one in January 2015, to try and identify areas where local authority resources come under most pressure when processing these type of applications.On 3 November 2014, Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) officials wrote to Lancashire County Council to provide comments on the relevant aspects of DECC’s regulatory role that might be helpful in considering the applications. On 17 November 2014, 19 January 2015 and 26 January 2015, DECC officials wrote two letters and an email in response to specific requests from Lancashire County Council officials, seeking views from DECC on certain comments received in the public consultation on the planning applications. DECC’s responses addressed only matters which fall under DECC’s regulatory responsibilities.The Minister of State, Matt Hancock, met with the deputy leader of Lancashire County Council on 12 November 2014, as part of a regional visit. This meeting did not discuss the merits of the planning applications. A meeting with officials to follow up was arranged (by email and telephone) for 14 January but after further consideration was postponed until after the planning decisions.A DECC official was invited to attend the meetings of the development control committee considering the planning applications on 28 and 29 January, to advise if necessary on DECC’s regulatory responsibilities. After due consideration of this request, DECC officials confirmed on 27 January that they would not attend.The Director of Public Health at Lancashire County Council wrote to DECC in January asking for comments on the Health Impact Assessment, and DECC officials replied on 20 January to say they could not respond ahead of the Council’s decisions.

Natural Gas

Lord Strathclyde: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage close co-operation between Iran and Qatar over their combined interest in the exploitation of the South Pars/North Dome Gas field after the conclusion of the Vienna talks.

Baroness Verma: Trade with Iran is subject to certain restrictions derived from the sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the EU. The EU’s extensive sanctions regime against Iran include measures against the import of Iranian natural gas, as well as severe restrictions on the Iranian financial sector. Her Majesty’s Government will not promote trade or lift sanctions with Iran until a comprehensive nuclear agreement is in place which fully restores international confidence in the nature of Iran’s nuclear programme. HMG cannot make any advance comments on the conclusion of these negotiations in Geneva, or Qatar’s commercial interests in the exploitation of the North Dome Gas Field.

Ofgem

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Ofgem has regard to the vulnerabilities of families with children.

Baroness Verma: A new Strategy and Policy Statement, which Government consulted on last year makes it clear that helping vulnerable households is one of the Government’s strategic priorities to which Ofgem should have regard when carrying out its regulatory functions. The statement will replace the existing Social and Environmental Statutory Guidance to the Gas and Electricity Market Authority, as recommended by the Ofgem Review of 2010-11.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Tourism

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote tourist destinations in the United Kingdom outside the Greater London area.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: VisitBritain and VisitEngland market the nations and the regions through the GREAT Britain and Holidays at Home are GREAT campaigns. VisitEngland's Growing Tourism Locally programme, supported by the Regional Growth Fund, has also been successful in growing tourism outside London. Programmes such as the Department for Communities and Local Government's Coastal Communities Fund are also helping to grow tourism in seaside destinations, supporting local economic growth and jobs.More recently, the Government has announced a new 'Tourism in the North' initiative, as well as £4.4 million to fund 50,000 visa fee refunds for visitors from China who book onto tours comprising a minimum of 4 nights outside the Greater London area. Two new international trade events have also been announced for the South West and Yorkshire and the Humber, bringing major international buyers in to meet with regional businesses. A funding pot of £200K will match fund first time exhibitors' to attend the events and maximise their potential.

Department of Health

Obesity

Baroness Suttie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations contained in the McKinsey Global Institute's report Overcoming obesity: an initial economic analysis; and in particular whether they intend to take a stronger approach towards reformulation, labelling, and marketing practices, in the light of the report's findings.

Earl Howe: McKinsey Global Institute's report Overcoming obesity: an initial economic analysis reminds us how costly obesity is, not just to the individual, but also to the global economy. As the report makes clear there is no single solution that will fix the problem, but in the United Kingdom, we are moving in the right direction with obesity rates levelling off.   Through our voluntary partnership with industry we are working with the food and drink industry to help people make healthier choices. Some of our biggest supermarkets and food manufacturers have made commitments to help people cut their calorie consumption through reformulation, portion size reductions and promoting healthier options. We are the first country in Europe to introduce a voluntary front of pack nutrition labelling scheme. Businesses that have committed to use this scheme account for nearly two-thirds of all food sold in the UK.